Forests

Image: Yosemite Valley by Jesse Gardner / Unsplash

Healthy, resilient forests provide critical ecosystem services that are essential to climate adaptation in California. Forested lands make up roughly one third of our state, covering nearly 32 million acres. Because of the broad variety of climate zones in California, the State hosts an exceptional diversity of plant and animal species in forest ecosystems that provide essential habitat for native wildlife, store carbon, and filter drinking water. Forest products and
forest-based recreation also support rural communities and the state economy. In addition to wildland forests, the urban tree canopy covers 15 percent of California’s urban areas, providing green space and public health benefits to 95 percent of Californians who live in cities.[1]
Finally, nearly two-thirds of California’s developed water supply originates from the streams and rivers of the Southern Cascades and Sierra Nevada mountain regions,[2] tying healthy forests to the well-being of most the state’s population, over 25 million residents.

Unfortunately, many of California’s forests are currently degraded as a result of fire suppression activities, past management practices, and climate change. California forests were historically shaped by low-intensity frequent fire;[3] many forests are recently overgrown and have missed their natural fire cycles. As a result, they are less resilient to stresses exacerbated by climate change.[4] These degraded forests are not able to provide the full range of carbon and water storage benefits that could help the state mitigate and adapt to climate change. Furthermore, fragmented and overstocked forests provide less suitable habitat for wildlife and make it more challenging for species to migrate in response to a changing climate.

Given the variety of wildland and urban forest ecosystems and land ownership patterns in California, and the challenges brought on by climate change, there is no single prescription that will restore forest health on its own.[5] However, investing in a number of activities can significantly improve forest resilience.[6]
Restoring and protecting forest ecosystem function by reintroducing fire and improving management is necessary to both protect California’s forest base and enhance watershed health. Furthermore, community resilience can be supported by rebuilding California’s forest management workforce, using the workforce to expand the extent and health of California’s urban tree canopy, and advance fire preparedness. Finally, it is important to both foster creative solutions to sustainably utilize biomass from fuels reduction activities, and to better understand climate trends in forests via research and monitoring. In order for each of these activities to be effective in building forest resilience to climate change, collaborative partnerships are critical - particularly with the federal government, which owns over 50% of California’s forest land. Overall, there remains a need for strategies that work across state, federal, tribal, nonprofit, and private management partners and are tailored to address regional needs and ecosystem conditions.

United States Department of Agriculture. 2018

Web-based tool that provides professional land managers and planners the most current climate change science available. It delivers access to the most current peer-reviewed publication findings describing effects and management options, and … interactive maps of climate projections and models, that provide insight into climate influences on natural resources.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2017

This website contains links to major studies on vulnerability of fish and wildlife in California to climate change. A vulnerability assessment can be used to determine which fish, wildlife, and plant species may be most vulnerable to … climate change, and why. Many of these assessments have been conducted in California by various entities, and these studies provide crucial information for conservation and adaptation planning.

San Mateo County. 2013

FloodingSea level riseTemperatureWildfire

Plan or strategy

Chapter 5 of the 2013 Energy Efficiency Climate Action Plan contains a vulnerability assessment on wildfire, sea level rise, and temperature. The adaptation strategy, also included in Chapter 5, identifies stakeholders inside the city and … plans of action, like updating the general plan and the creation of new programs.

California Landscape Conservation Cooperative. 2017

The California Landscape Conservation Cooperative (CA LCC) is a management-science partnership created to inform and promote integrated science, natural resource management and conservation to address impacts of climate change and other stressors … within and across ecosystems. CA LCC hosts webinars, workshops and trainings, a project library, stories, and is the creator of the Climate Commons data and resource catalog.

California Department of Transportation. 2013

This guide helps MPOs and RTPAs in California to better incorporate climate assessments and adaptation into the long-range planning process by outlining how to conduct a preliminary assessment of the main climate impacts in their regions … as well as discussing how to delve into more rigorous analysis by incorporating local data and information and identifying resources for in-depth analysis.

Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation. 2018

The Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation (ARCCA) is a network of regional collaboratives from across California that work together to advance adaptation statewide and increase local capacity to build community resilience. … Through ARCCA, adaptation practitioners connect with peers across the state to exchange knowledge, and engage in targeted problem-solving across sectors and jurisdictions. The collaborative includes learning sessions, a California Resiliency Directory and Listserv, legislative tracking, and a Regional Adaptation Collaborative Toolkit.

County of San Diego. 2017

DroughtExtreme heatExtreme stormsSea level riseTemperatureWildfire

AssessmentPlan or strategy

The County of San Diego Climate Action Plan includes a vulnerability assessment and adaptation and resiliency strategies. This Climate Action Plan uses the California Adaptation Planning Guide as the basis for its adaptation chapter and … uses Cal-Adapt to inform its vulnerability assessment.

California Emergency Management Agency. 2012

The California Adaptation Planning Guide (APG) serves as a foundational resource for climate adaptation planning in California. This companion document identifies climate impact regions, including their environmental and socioeconomic characteristics. … The regions allow for greater depth and more detailed guidance to be presented. The regions were designated based on county boundaries in combination with projected climate impacts, existing environmental setting, socioeconomic factors, and regional designations and organizations.